Fresh Darkness
by CassieCastle47
Summary: A sequel to "Starting Fresh" When Jamie is hurt on the job, Alexis has to deal with the backlash of living with a Reagan.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, here goes. I got a review for Starting Fresh from ****_ . .Us_****, asking for more. One idea they presented was the concept of Alexis dealing with Jamie getting hurt on the job. Now, when I first started toying with the concept of doing a Blue Bloods fic, I considered the thought of Jamie getting hurt, but it felt unoriginal and so I went with the Jamie/Alexis storyline instead. No I have the opportunity to combine the two. While I do have another Castle fic in progress, this idea sort of took hold, and you guys are getting a sequel a lot sooner than anticipated, because I simply had to write it! So here you go. Enjoy and please leave a review! Love you, mean it. Cassie**

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><p>Alexis Castle-Reagan was sitting on the floor of her apartment in Manhattan, going through the wedding photos they'd had printed. She and Jamie had been married for just over six months, and things were finally starting to settle down.<p>

The wedding had been in April, five years after she had met Jamie. It had been a beautiful church wedding, with all of Jamie's family and hers. Between the two, half the NYPD had been there as well. It may have been big and not really intimate in that sense, but it was all very romantic and loving. The white lights had been magical, sparkling everywhere with candles and white roses. Everything had been every but what Alexis had wanted in her wedding day.

Not least of which had been the man of her dreams.

Jamie had been her boyfriend for three years and her fiance for two before he became her husband. She couldn't imagine a better, more loving man to spend the rest of her life with. He was caring and sweet, with a heart of gold and a beautiful spirit. Her wedding day would've been nothing if not for sharing it with Jamie.

Now, in the apartment they called home, Alexis smiled at the photos spread out all around her. Photos of her getting ready, photos of Jamie and Danny, of Alexis with Rick, Kate, and their three-year-old daughter, Rose. Photos of Erin, Nicky, and Linda. Of Jack and Sean. Of Martha, Jim, and Henry. Of Frank and the boys, Ryan and Esposito. Of Jenny, Lanie, six-year-old Sarah Grace and her little brother, Patrick Javier. Of Lanie and Esposito's baby, Oliver, who had been only five months old at the wedding. Photos of the ceremony, the cake cutting, the first dance, the father-daughter dance. Photos upon photos of beautiful, wonderful memories from the best day of her life.

Alexis was laughing at a particularly sweet photo of her husband with Sarah Grace, Patrick, Jack, Sean, and Rose, all dancing together to "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield, when her phone rang, pulling Alexis out of her memories.

"Hello?" Alexis answered.

"Alexis, it's Danny."

"Hey, Danny, what's up?" Alexis asked cheerfully.

"It's Jamie." There was a moment of silence as Alexis thought about what Danny had just said.

"What do you mean? What about Jamie?" she asked.

"He got hurt, Alexis, and it's bad." It was a breathtaking moment of realization.

"How bad?" she inquired.

"Alexis, you need to get down here," Danny replied. Alexis sucked in a breath of air,glancing around at all the wedding pictures strewn around the floor.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Mercy," Danny replied.

"I'm on my way," Alexis said. She hung up the phone and stood, slipping into her shoes before she ran out the door with just her phone and wallet. She left the bedroom light on and the wedding photos strewn around the floor, her husband the only thing on her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed Starting Fresh into its new domain, and thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites. I appreciate every single one of you! Love you, mean it. Cassie**

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><p>Alexis arrived at Mercy General in record time, almost certain she had broken several traffic laws in the process. She made it to the ER waiting room and then stopped short. Danny and Linda were both standing there, along with Jamie's partner Miles, who was covered in blood.<p>

"Alexis, I'm so sorry," Miles said tearfully. "I'm so sorry. I tried to get to him but I couldn't, I didn't make it in time. I tried, you know I did."

"I know, Miles, it's not your fault," Alexis said. "How's Jamie?" Danny shook his head.

"No news. He took two to the chest, nine millimeter." Alexis stared at Danny, and then looked to Miles, whose suit was smeared with already drying and darkening blood. Jamie's blood. The blood of her husband, of the man dancing with the kids in the photo she'd discarded on the floor.

"Dad's on his way. Same with Grandpa and Erin," Danny said. "Nicky's in the middle of her tour, she'll come after."

"I need to make a call," Alexis said. Danny nodded. Kate was the first person she thought of.

"Beckett," Kate answered the phone.

"Kate," Alexis said.

"Hey, Lex, what's up?" Kate asked. Alexis' breath caught.

"It's Jamie."

"What's wrong?" Kate asked.

"He got shot."

"Oh my god, Alexis, I'm so sorry," Kate said. "Is he..." she trailed off.

"He's in surgery," Alexis said. "Danny and Linda are here with Miles, and Frank, Henry, and Erin are on their way."

"Okay, are you at Mercy?" Kate asked.

"Yeah."

"Your dad and I will drop off Rose with Jenny, and then we'll be there as soon as we can, okay?"

"Okay."

"Stay strong, Alexis. See you soon." They hung up and Alexis made her way back to the waiting room just in time to greet Frank and Abigail Baker.

"Alexis," Frank said, reaching out to hug his daughter-in-law. He then turned to his oldest son.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Nowhere, Dad," Danny replied. "We've got nothing, but everyone is looking for the shooter." Frank nodded just as Erin and Henry showed up. Within minutes, Kate and Rick had followed. They all sat silently for a while, Nicky's arrival three hours later the only disturbance to the quiet.

Alexis, as expected, found herself thinking of Jamie.

Jamie Reagan had always been so interesting to her. From the day she first saw him in the coffee shop, she had been curious about the handsome young man. Even as she got to know him, there always seemed to be something new to discover about Jamie. Being married had brought about a whole new set of discoveries. She found that not every single one of Jamie's quirks was endearing. He had a habit of leaving his jacket on the back of the sofa that drove her absolutely crazy for no apparent reason. But even his annoying quirks sounded endearing to her right now. Alexis would've given anything to have to pick up her husband's jacket from the back of the sofa just then.

Finally, after six hours of sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chairs, a man in scrubs approached them.

"Family of Jameson Reagan?" he asked.

"Here," Alexis said, speaking for all of them.

"Are you his wife, ma'am?" he asked. She nodded.

"I am. These are my parents, his father, brother, sister, sister-in-law, grandfather, and niece, as well as his partner," she recapped quickly. The man's eyes lingered for a moment on Miles' bloody clothing.

"How's Jamie?" Alexis asked.

"He's alive," replied the man in scrubs, whose nametag read 'Matthew Williams, MD'.

"Is he going to make it?" Danny asked.

"It's too soon to tell right now," he replied gently. "He appears to be in good health, so I am hopeful for his prospects, but I can't tell you with absolute certainty how he'll fare. The next forty-eight hours are crucial."

"Can we see him?" Alexis asked.

"One at a time."

"Go, Alexis," Frank said immediately. She nodded and followed Matthew Williams down the hallway. He left her with a small smile outside Jamie's room. Alexis took a deep breath and turned the handle.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The last chapter was short, I know. Sorry. Leave me a review and let me know what you like and what you don't. That's the beauty of fanfic. You make me a better writer. :) Love you, mean it. Cassie**

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><p>Frank Reagan could hear laughter. The bright, happy laughter of a small boy with brown eyes, sandy hair, and dimples.<p>

_"Joey, come and get me!" Five-year-old Jamie giggled, calling out to his older brother. Joe laughed, a more mature sound while still that of a child, and turned to chase after Jamie, who squealed and took off running. Joe chased Jamie until the older boy caught the small one and pinned him onto the ground, the summer grass cool on Jamie's skin. Jamie laughed uncontrollably as Joe tickled him mercilessly. _

_"Erin! Help!" Jamie squealed. The brown-haired little girl looked out the window of the tree house, shaking her head at her brothers' antics. _

_"You're the one who told him to come and get you, Jamie," she called. "I'm trying to read." Erin smiled. "Call Danny, maybe he'll help you." _

_"Nooo!" Joe protested as Danny, having heard his name, popped up from his seat. _

_"Officer Danny Reagan to the rescue!" he announced heroically, brandishing a sticker badge as he raced toward his brothers, running full force into Joe and knocking both he and Jamie aside in the process. _

_"You are under arrest, dirtbag," Danny announced as he pulled a teal blue ribbon out of his pocket and began to tie it around Joe's wrists. _

_"Hey!" Erin called indignantly. "Daniel Reagan, that's mine!" she exclaimed, reffering to the ribbon cuffs. Danny just laughed, even as Erin hurried down the tree house ladder. _

_"Danny, stop it!" she insisted. "If you get it in a knot like last time, Mom will have to cut it and that one's my favorite." As Erin began to wrestle her ribbon from 'Officer' Danny's grasp, Jamie just rocked side to side on the grass with Joe, laughing and laughing. _

Frank was brought back to the real world by the shadow of Danny standing over him. He looked up into the face of his son, the same face as that of little Officer Danny Reagan, armed with a sticker taped to an old wallet and his sister's stolen hair ribbon.

"Hi, Danny," Frank said.

"Hey, Dad," Danny sighed, sinking into the chair beside his father.

"What are we gonna do?" Danny asked.

"Wait. Pray. Find the man responsible," Frank replied.

"And if he doesn't make it?" Danny asked.

Frank sighed.

"We aren't going to think like that."

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><p>Jamie was ghostly pale, intubated and hooked up to a heart monitor and several IV drips. Alexis fought tears as she slowly stepped close to him. To see her vibrant, energetic husband so still and small was disconcerting on so many levels. She hesitantly reached out to run her fingers lightly through Jamie's hair.<p>

"Jamie," she whispered. She sighed, lowering herself into the chair beside his bed. She carefull took his hand, the warmth in his skin a comfort.

"Hey," she murmured. "Jamie, you have to fight, okay? Please, Jamie." She closed her eyes briefly and a memory, clear as if it had happened yesterday, flooded her mind.

_"Hello?"_

_Hearing his voice brought tears to her eyes. _

_"Jamie," she choked. "Please tell me you're okay." _

_"Yeah, Lex, I'm okay, it wasn't me."_

_When a cop had been shot on Jamie's beat, Alexis had found herself frantic to get in touch with her boyfriend of just over a year. She had called him seven times before he finally answered, at which point she was close to hysterical. _

_"God, Jamie, I've called seven times," she said. _

_"I'm so sorry," he replied. "I was on a domestic disturbance call, and I left my phone in the car," he explained. Alexis just cried. _

_"Okay, okay," he began. "Listen, I'm on my lunch. I'll come by your apartment, alright?" _

_"Okay."_

_"Okay, I'll see you soon," he promised. "I love you."_

_"I love you, too," she murmured. _

_He was at her apartment in minutes, and she barely gave him time to get in the door before she threw herself at him. He caught her and she clung tightly to him._

_"Jamie," she sobbed. _

_"Hey, shh, it's okay," he assured her. "It's okay, Alexis, I'm right here. I'm here, I'm okay." She fought to stop crying, but Jamie cradled her close, carressing her head and murmuring soothing words to her. When she had eventually calmed down, Jamie led her to the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. _

_"You okay?" he asked. _

_"Yeah," Alexis said with a nod. _

_"I know it's scary, but this is just the life of a cop, Alexis," he told her gently. "I know it's hard, but you just have to accept it. You met a cop, you started dating a cop. My last girlfriend, Sydney, she met, started dating, and agreed to marry a lawyer. Then all of a sudden she was engaged to a cop. You knew, sweetheart." She nodded._

_"I know I did. But that doesn't make it any easier," she said. _

_"I know. I'm sorry," he said. "I'm here, though, okay? And I do my very best to make it home safe for you every day. There may come a time when I don't, but if that ever happens, just know that I love you, okay? And I will always try my best to make it home safe and sound. I promise." _

Back in the present, Alexis sighed, pressing her lips to her husband's palm.

"I love you, Jamie," she whispered. "I need you to come back to me, okay? I need you, Jamie.


End file.
